Job burnout's effect on the heart and prom dress shopping with Dad: In health news today

by José Martinez

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People with bad cases of job burnout may be increasing their risk of coronary heart disease by up to 79 percent, said a new study. Christian Guthier/Flickr Creative Commons

Smokers who want to quit may feel like they're between a rock and a hard place when it comes to heart health, since cutting the habit often leads to weight gain, and obesity, like smoking, isn't good for the heart. But the BBC reports on a new study that says it's better to quit and gain weight than to keep smoking, and that those potential extra pounds don't cancel out the "positive effect" dropping the habit has on a former smoker's cardiovascular health.

More than half of all teenagers and young adults know someone who's been a victim of dating violence or sexual assault, says a new survey – and more than half of them say they'd find it difficult to intervene. HealthDay adds that four in 10 say they wouldn't know what to do if they witnessed a crime like that.

Does your job have you feeling burned out? Not only is that miserable, but new research appearing in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine says it could present a considerable risk to your heart. The study's lead author called the results "alarming," noting that the most burnt-out workers saw their risk of coronary heart disease rise by nearly 80 percent.

It's not likely that mothers who breastfeed their babies are doing much in the way of stemming obesity in their children, reports Reuters. That's not to say there's not a host of other health benefits that come from breastfeeding, said researchers – there was just no "dramatic difference" in weight patterns among children who were breastfed and children who weren't.

Cancer care accounts for about one in 10 Medicare dollars, and a new study appearing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute says regional differences in Medicare spending on cancer doesn't appear to be linked to differences in survival rates.

Officials have reported another fatal incident of the SARS-like coronavirus, says CNN, which is the 15th confirmed case since the fall and the ninth death. Most people who have caught the virus have been in the Middle East, and one specialist said it was "very difficult to acquire."

And finally, HealthDay has news on a study that looked at how fathers and daughters connect and bond, and came to a pretty simple conclusion: The activity "doesn't really matter as long as both people are interested," as the study's lead author put it. That means there's no excuse to limit sports, tinkering with the car or taking a road trip to father-son interactions, said researchers – nor is there any reason to limit shopping for a prom dress to the realm of mothers and daughters.